Breakdown of Sto controllando l'attrezzatura prima di immergermi.
stare
to stay, to feel, to be
controllare
to check
l'attrezzatura
the equipment (f)
prima di
before (doing something) / before (a noun / point in time)
immergersi
to dive
Questions & Answers about Sto controllando l'attrezzatura prima di immergermi.
Why does this sentence use the infinitive immergermi instead of an -ing verb for diving?
In Italian, when you talk about doing something before another action, you use prima di followed by the infinitive form of the verb. Even though English says before diving, Italian strictly uses the infinitive after prepositions like di.
Why is mi attached to the end of immergermi?
The verb for to dive is the reflexive verb immergersi, which literally means to submerge oneself. When you use a reflexive infinitive after prima di, the pronoun attaches directly to the end of the verb. You drop the final e of immergere and add mi because the person diving is I.
Why do we say sto controllando instead of just controllo?
Is l'attrezzatura a singular or plural word here?
It is singular. Just like the English word equipment, l'attrezzatura is a collective noun. It refers to a whole set of gear or tools but is treated grammatically as a single feminine object.
Learn Sto controllando l'attrezzatura prima di immergermi and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free